There is no admission that the background art disclosed in this section legally constitutes prior art.
Brachytherapy, or radiotherapy, is a minimally invasive treatment where radioactive sources, often called seeds, are placed directly in and/or around the tumor site such that a prescribed radiation dose is delivered to the defined treatment area.
Hyperthermia, when used in addition to brachytherapy, can have a several-fold enhancement in the treatment of certain cancer types, especially if delivered concurrently with radiation therapy through interstitial ferromagnetic implants. One shortcoming, however, is that the resulting number of implants has to be dramatically increased to accommodate both types of seeds, resulting in more trauma to the patient.
There have been different methods used to deliver such treatments. In one method, brachytherapy and ferromagnetic hyperthermia implants are inserted separately, with the latter implants removed after the heat treatment is delivered.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved, more efficient and effective, and less traumatic to the patient, system for the delivery of interstitial concurrent thermobrachytherapy in the treatment of cancer.